Sony firms up TV + Digital plans to deepen engagement for Dus Ka Dum

Sony Entertainment Television is ready to put on its game face for ‘Dus Ka Dum’. The show, that saw the debut of Salman Khan on Indian television, is all set to come back after 9 years with the very same superstar as the host. Staying true to the insight, Ye Khel Hai Anumaan ka, Salman ka aur Poore Hindustan ka, ‘Dus Ka Dum’ is premiering on June 4, 2018 and will air every Monday and Tuesday at 8.30 pm. 

Produced by Big Synergy, this new season of ‘Dus Ka Dum’ boasts of an all new format re-designed and developed by the in-house creative team of Sony Entertainment Television and Sony Pictures Television, UK. With its TV + Digital approach, the show promises to deepen engagement with the viewers. 

The Format 

In its latest avatar, ‘Dus Ka Dum’ will have new madats (assists) through the three rounds and a lot more interactivity. The format is simple and gives participants ample time to interact with Salman as well as revel in their victories. 

The first round will see two participants compete through 5 Ka Punch, which is a knockout round. The player, who answers at least 3 questions correctly out of 5, moves to the next round while the other contestant gets knocked out. Each question in this round is worth Rs 20,000 and the contestants will get 15 seconds to lock the estimated percentage on their respective screens. The madat (assist) available in this round will be Strategic Timeout, where the contestant can consult with their families to arrive at an answer. Even the eliminated contestant doesn’t go empty handed. 

The second round is called 10 Guna Dum, where the participant stands a chance to multiply the earnings from round one to Do Guna, Chaar Guna, Cheh Guna, Aath Guna or Dus Guna. The contestant has to set an estimate window on the ‘India Meter’ instead of an absolute percentage number. The madats (assists) available in this round are – Andaza Apna Apna, where the contestant can take help from studio audience, and Dumdaar Daayra, where the obsolete bracket on the India Meter will be disclosed making it a lot easier for the participant. 

While the contestant must play all the five questions, a minimum of three right answers in this round leads the contestant to the last and final round, which is titled Super Sawaal. The correct answer gives the contestant 10 times the amount earned in the second round. But the wrong answer will leave the contestant with only 10 per cent of the amount won in the second round. However, the contestant can choose to quit the show if in a dilemma and claim the money won in the second round. 

Even before its launch, ‘Dus Ka Dum’ has registered 1.5 million people taking part in its survey on the SonyLIV app, giving people an opportunity to audition for the show and stand a chance to play the game as a participant on television. 

Sony Entertainment Television had introduced the second screen engagement during ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC), wherein 30 million users had registered for KBC Play-Along and around 3.5 million concurrent users played-along for every KBC episode, setting a global benchmark. Taking the success and the scale of the second screen initiative a step further, ‘Dus Ka Dum’ aims to become the most interactive television show in the world. 

Through the SonyLIV app, the engagement with the audience will happen in three phases – ‘Survey’ leading to ‘Audition’ and ‘Play Along’ once the show launches. Viewers’ insights received will form the backbone for the content in the form of probable questions in the show. Also, users get to keep availing prizes with the Play Along on the SonyLIV app once the show goes on-air. 

NP Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India, commented, “‘Dus Ka Dum’ is a format re-envisioned by our in-house creative team and Sony Pictures Television, UK. The advent of second screen, pioneered by Sony Entertainment Television during ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ last year, has revolutionised the way content is consumed. This time around, the number of respondents (about 1.5 million) to the ‘Dus Ka Dum’ survey on our SonyLIV app has been an eye opener. This data not just highlights the popularity of the show, but also highlights an evolved consumption pattern amongst the audience. Along with an interesting format, Play Along will provide an opportunity to people at home to be part of ‘Dus Ka Dum’ game play. Furthermore, I am delighted to welcome Salman Khan back on Sony Entertainment Television.” 

“‘Dus Ka Dum’ is an extremely relevant and interesting show format for a heterogeneous country like India,” remarked Danish Khan, EVP and Business Head at Sony Entertainment Television. He added, “It celebrates the power of observation, life experiences and informal education; therefore, it is a game for almost everyone in India. It is truly a game of the common woman and man – it doesn’t bound the contestants by any filters like their educational, social or economic background. Anyone who has experienced life with an open mind stands a chance to be a winner here. To add to that, Salman Khan, whose appeal is beyond boundaries, is perhaps the most suited to bring this game alive. His easy charm and ability to connect with common man and woman makes for a riveting television experience.” 

On his association with ‘Dus Ka Dum’, Salman Khan said, “The show marked my debut on television and will always stay close to my heart. I am happy to return with this show after 9 long years. I feel a lot richer with the experiences shared by the participants on the show and the everlasting love of my fans.”

Siddhartha Basu, Consultant, Big Synergy, added here, “The Big Synergy team worked closely with them as well as the licensors, Sony Pictures Television, to rejuvenate ‘Dus ka Dum’ with format freshness, questions about being Indian that other surveys seldom ask, and a terrific line-up of contestants from across the length and breadth of the country, all the while staying true to the essence and appeal of the original version. The X factor of the show is of course Salman Khan, showcasing his trademark swag and spontaneous style, his earthy sense of humour, his warm connect with the common man, and his instinctive, unorthodox approach to entertainment. His enjoyment of the game is truly infectious. It’s a fun-filled show which makes you think and re-think about common things. The registration response was overwhelming and we do hope the nation once again enjoys the much-loved show and star in this brand new outing.” 

Breaking the myth about the second screen 

 Speaking to Adgully about the response received by ‘Dus Ka Dum’ the last time it was on air, Amogh Dusad, Head - Digital Initiatives, Sony Entertainment Television, said, “We saw tremendous growth and response. Over 2,500 cities had contributed to the growth across geographies and across age groups. We got good response from even the older age group of 65-70 year old. The response was great from both rural and urban markets.” 

Elaborating on the ‘Play Along’ component, Dusad said that it will offer people a chance to answer the same questions that Salman will ask in the show, along with other questions on TV. People giving the correct answers will get to win prizes, while the Top 4 to 5 players every night will have their pictures come on TV Live at the end of the episode. The best players will get to play in the finale episode of the game show. 

Adding further, he said that the ‘Play Along’ would be on the lines of ‘KBC’. “There will be two contestants with Salman, but we are using technology to democratise participation and ensure that all the 24 crore homes should have the opportunity to answer the question. That is what we are enabling and which is what we did in ‘KBC’. Also what we did in ‘KBC’ was that the Play Along users got a chance to be a part of a special league. There are also gratifications that we plan for people who will listen. One additional thing that ‘Dus Ka Dum’ is doing is that at the end of every episode, the 5 best users who have answered the fastest and have give the most number of correct answers will get an opportunity to have their images appear on television, Live.” 

“Everybody will have their own point of view as to how much percentage the answer is according to them, and you will get points basis how well your guess is. All these elements will be there in the App which we are launching on June 4,” Dusad added. 

He further said that while the second screen initiative was started with ‘KBC’, with ‘Dus Ka Dum’ the initiative assumes a 360-degree digital engagement, which is happening for the first time. “We have planned a lot of such initiatives for our upcoming shows as well,” he informed. “The idea here is to break the myth that the second screen competes with the first screen. It is about how strongly we engage people on the second screen,” Dusad concluded.